Murder at EmpireCorp
by Centralia Currie
Summary: When one of Darth's estranged former co-workers is found dead, the police are stumped, but Luke and Leia Skywalker believe that their father is the culprit. How can they prove him innocent? Warning: very AU. A companion to my other two stories.
1. Introduction: A Tale of Two Corporations

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters or _Star Wars_.

**Plot**: One of Darth's former colleagues has been found strangled in his office, and Luke and Leia believe that their father is the murderer. How can they prove to themselves that he's innocent?

**Note**: To read more about EmpireCorp and RebelCorp, read my other two Star Wars stories, "Dad, Don't Make Us Kill You" and "Han, Don't Make Me Slap You," by Centralia Currie. The links are available on my author profile.

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><p>Luke Skywalker took no pleasure in sleeping next to his sister. But the only spare room in Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's farmhouse contained a single queen-size bed, so whenever the Skywalker twins visited their relatives, they shared a bed.<p>

Not tonight. The space beside Luke was empty. Leia was off visiting her godparents, the Organas, who lived several hours away. Luke's godparents were Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, which Luke had to remind himself of every time Aunt Beru examined the sizes of his clothing ("Luke, you're getting too skinny, honey") or gave him a second helping of chicken ("You need more meat on your bones, dear") or commented after he sneezed ("I hope you're not coming down with something, Luke. Just in case, let me take your temperature.") His relatives loved him and wanted him to be strong and healthy.

Luke and Leia's father, Darth Vader (whose legal name was actually Anakin Skywalker, but that was a story for another day,) was in the hospital. He had been experiencing some problems breathing, and his doctor said it was because a hole had developed in his breathing tube. Darth breathed through a tube…and was fed through a tube…and wore a black mask over his face…after a giant car accident that had killed his wife when the kids were only four years old.

Luckily, a damaged breathing tube was an easy fix. New breathing tube, spend the night in the hospital just for observation, and go home the next day.

Luke had begged Uncle Owen to drive him to the hospital to visit his father. He was _dying_ to know what his father looked like without the mask. But Uncle Owen hadn't had the time.

The last picture that had been taken before the accident was a snapshot of Anakin twirling Leia's plastic Barbie baton in the front yard. He had had brown hair and had been rather handsome, like some kind of movie star. But Darth had gotten rid of all traces of Anakin Skywalker since the accident; now the only link Luke had to his father's past was a cardboard box in the attic, filled with old pictures.

It had been twelve years since Luke had seen his father's face. One time last autumn, he asked his father if he still had brown hair. Darth replied that he'd gone bald.

Luke hadn't believed him.

Luke tossed and turned in the cozy queen-size bed, thinking of his sister. He reached into her mind to see what she was thinking. Some twins _sort of_ do that, but the Skywalker twins could _really_ do that.

Leia was happy and comfortable. That was all Luke could get.

_What're you up to_? Luke thought, then sent the thought to his sister.

_I'm in my new bed! I have 700-thread-count sheets, whatever they are, and a canopy on top_.

_Sheesh_, Luke thought to her. _What are you, some kind of princess_?

They _think I am_, Leia replied coyly. _Are you in bed, too_?

_Yep. The bed is more comfortable without you in it. No offense_.

_Oh, Luke_.

Luke said goodnight to his sister and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Darth Vader was actually quite comfortable in his single room at Palpatine Memorial Hospital—despite the fact that his hospital bracelet and patient chart both read 'Anakin Skywalker.'<p>

He _really_ had to get his name legally changed. The last time anyone had referred to him as 'Anakin' was the time his stepbrother Owen had yelled at him for neglecting his kids, and that had been months ago.

The new respirator was working out just fine. He'd been instructed to take easy breaths and relax. Lying in bed, he thought of his children.

Darth hadn't told them yet, but he could reach into his kids' minds, just as they could with each other. They didn't know that he was able to do it, and if they did, they probably wouldn't be able to reach _back_ to him, but he had the ability all the same.

Darth decided to reach out to the kids now and see how they were doing.

With Luke, all he got was a big empty space. Cobwebs. That meant Luke was asleep. _Good kiddo_, he thought amusedly. _Sleep is good_.

Leia projected a sense of comfort and warmth. The darling was probably in her own bed, drifting off to sleep.

Satisfied with the kids, Darth reached for the remote on the nightstand on the bed and flicked the television on. The evening news would be on in a few moments.

The day's top news story was an earthquake, plus a bank robbery in a town about two miles away. Some sports team was losing miserably. A house right in town had been raided and the homeowner arrested for drug possession. Darth thought he recognized the homeowner's last name—Hutt. Wasn't there a kid in Luke and Leia's class with that name?

Finally, the corporate news. "And in the business world today, Earl Jones, the President and CEO of EmpireCorp, has offered a merger deal to buy out RebelCorp, headed by businessman and yoga guru Yoh Da," the anchorwoman announced in a toothy grin.

Darth sat bolt upright in his hospital bed. RebelCorp was the very company he worked for.

"Da has made it known that he not interested in selling RebelCorp, which is only a few months old," the anchorwoman continued. "However, Jones' offer of $60 million to purchase the robotics company has triggered Da to organize a meeting with RebelCorp's Board of Directors to discuss whether or not they are interested in the possibility of a merger."

Darth couldn't bear to listen to the rest of the report; gazing at the television stupidly, he clenched his fist. He had spent the past two months persuading Yoh Da that a merger would be bad for business. "Competition is good!" he had told the CEO time and again. "It makes for a healthier company!" His boss had agreed and had called off any and all future merger deals initiated by RebelCorp.

But now that Bantha fodder of a man, Earl Jones—Darth's former co-worker- was offering $60 million, which was probably at least $10 million more than the company was worth. If Yoh Da took the money and the deal, what would happen to Darth?

Well, Jones and Da would be a fool to get rid of him. Vader had worked in robotics for twenty years, and all of the minions at the office agreed that he'd done an excellent job at whatever he'd been assigned. But how much management would the new company _need_? Darth might see himself demoted, or pushed further and further away from his dream of becoming a CEO.

To sit around all day, order everyone around, and get paid handsomely for it was the ultimate goal of Darth's.

Darth looked at the television again, opened his fist, and placed his hand in an invisible chokehold.

_Someone had to be destroyed for this_.

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: The Murder


	2. An Emergency Bulletin

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine, Luke!" Aunt Beru gently roused Luke from his slumber at six A.M.<p>

Luke moaned and rolled over in bed.

"I know you don't like early chores, Luke, but one of your uncle's farmhands called in sick, and your uncle really needs some help with the milking," Aunt Beru said, going to the closet and removing a pair of overalls for her nephew. "You can milk some cows and climb back into bed, okay?"

"All right," Luke pouted. "_Leia_ doesn't have to do this, though."

"Leia has to put on dresses and look pretty at social events while the Organas talk to people she doesn't even know. Does that sound like fun?"

"Not to _me_, but to _her_, I bet it is!"

Luke grumbled all the way down to the barn, where Uncle Owen was milking Millie. "Start with Bessie, Luke," he advised. "She looks mighty uncomfortable."

Luke found Bessie and grabbed hold of an udder. He squeezed, and Bessie let out of a moo of discomfort.

"It's okay, girl," Luke smiled at the cow. "It's only me." He squeezed some more, and milk shot into the pail. Bessie shifted her weight from leg to leg, and started to relax.

* * *

><p>Darth was released from Palpatine Memorial Hospital at ten that morning. The first thing he did upon arriving home was to call his stepbrother.<p>

"Owen, I'll be around to collect Luke this afternoon around four." Pause. "Yes, I'm feeling much better, thank you. And thank you for looking after Luke." Darth hung up the phone.

"You know, Mr. Vader," commented C3PO, Darth's personal assistant both at work and at home, "I could have watched young master Luke here at home. You didn't have to call Beru and Owen to look after him."

"Don't be silly, Threepio. A droid can't be expected to look after a growing teenager. That child needs humans who are willing to give out discipline."

"But Luke isn't a terrible teenager, Mr. Vader. Not at all."

"Oh, of course he isn't. But how do you think he's kept in line?" Darth left his things for C3PO to unpack and grabbed the keys to the Cadillac Escalade. "Now, I have a few errands to run," he said, his voice lower and deadlier than usual. "I'll be back later."

C3PO wisely didn't ask his master where he planned on going.

* * *

><p>Just as people had names for their cars, a lot of people had names for their houses. Michael Jackson, for example, had called his house the Neverland Ranch. Wayne Newton called his house Shenandoah.<p>

Bail and Breha Organa called their house Alderaan.

Leia's father really hated the Organas, mostly for political reasons. Leia's godfather was a state senator, and a Democrat. Darth voted Republican.

The Organas had been Padme's friends, not Anakin's. Leia even vaguely remembered the one time that her father and her godparents had gotten into a violent argument; it had been right after the accident. Darth's lawyer called him and wanted to know if the kids should be sent to live with their respective godparents.

"As long as I'm alive, no child of mine is going to be raised at Alderaan," Darth had replied. "In fact, I just might blow the place up."

Leia didn't know how, but Bail Organa had gotten wind of that comment, and a fight had ensued between her father and godfather. Neither of the two men had felt comfortable with each other since, which is why Leia was always picked up and dropped off at Owen Lars' farm.

That afternoon around three-thirty, a black town car pulled up the Lars homestead. The driver got out and started unloading Leia's luggage from the trunk.

Leia had stayed at Alderaan for a week, but had packed up virtually her entire bedroom at home.

Uncle Owen hugged Leia and made small talk with Bail Organa while Luke helped his sister drag her luggage inside.

"How was Alderaan?" Luke asked. "What does that name mean, anyway?"

Leia shrugged. "They said it's some family secret. But I heard Dad had to go into the hospital."

"Yeah, something about his respirator. He's okay, though. He's picking us up soon."

"Leia, come say goodbye to your godfather! You won't see him in a while!" Uncle Owen called from the front porch.

Leia went to say goodbye to Bail Organa, who promised he'd call her soon about arranging another visit. Then she and Luke settled in to watch TV.

Luke was sixteen, but still loved his cartoons. He and his best friend, Mark Fisher, had created all new voices for the characters on _Batman_. Mark's voice for the Joker was a riot.

Leia preferred soap operas. Luckily, they both agreed on_ Judge Judy._ Today, Judge Judy was yelling at a teenager who had ruined his friend's car by driving it without asking and then getting into an accident.

"That kid looks like Han," Leia said quietly, referring to their school pest, Han Solo. She and Luke cracked up.

All of the sudden, the show was interrupted by an emergency news broadcast.

"We interrupt _Judge Judy_ to bring you an important bulletin," said the brown-haired anchorman. "Earl Jones, the President and CEO of the local robotics corporation EmpireCorp, was found dead in his office no less than an hour ago. Authorities are working to determine a cause of death, but have since ruled out suicide. This throws a major wrench into the merger deal that Jones offered to RebelCorp President Yoh Da just yesterday. Directors at both EmpireCorp and RebelCorp are meeting as we speak to discuss whether or not the merger deal will continue to be an option."

Luke and Leia both stared at the television. "Dad did it," Luke said finally. "Either he did it, or he had something to do with it."

Leia sucked in a deep breath. "That's a mighty big accusation, Luke."

"Leia, he has the perfect motive. He doesn't want the two companies to merge because it would create job instability for him. He's spent the past two months trying to convince Mr. Da that a merger is a bad idea. Haven't you been listening to him ramble on at dinner?"

"Well, yeah," Leia agreed, "but that doesn't mean he would put his job and career in jeopardy by killing Mr. Jones."

"Dad has a hot temper. You _know_ he does. He heard about this new merger, and he decided that Mr. Jones had to be destroyed. I'll bet you ten bucks that the cause of death is strangulation. Dad's always threatening to choke somebody out that he doesn't like."

"How could Dad have done it while in the hospital?" Leia asked suspiciously.

"We don't know _when_ he was released from the hospital. It could have been first thing this morning. If the body was discovered only an hour ago, that gave him plenty of time to plan this out."

Leia just stared at the television and shook her head. "I don't want to believe that he did it, but why would he risk going to prison and sending me to spend the rest of my childhood at Alderaan? He _hates_ sending me to Alderaan!"

"Well, why he would risk it is obvious. He must hate Mr. Jones a lot more than he hates Mr. Organa."

Leia sighed. "I just don't want to believe it."

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: Luke and Leia Do Some Investigating


	3. Leia Questions Darth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

* * *

><p>Leia felt sick to her stomach. The only thing she could do was lie on her bed.<p>

Luke had been right. That night, on the evening news, Earl Jones' cause of death was announced as strangulation. The killer had worn gloves (well, Darth always wore gloves, so that made it easy) and had strangled Jones with his bare hands. To top everything off, EmpireCorp didn't have security cameras anywhere but in the parking lot and near the entrances to the building. Everyone at EmpireCorp that day would have to be questioned, and a list of people was being compiled by the police.

Leia had gone to bed without dinner, claiming she wasn't hungry. Luke had done the same.

"What _is it_ with you two?" Darth had demanded, breathing heavily through his respirator. "I worked—okay, _Threepio_ worked very hard to make this meal!"

"Thank you, Mr. Vader, sir," Threepio spoke up, always trying to get a word in.

"I'm not feeling well," Leia said quietly.

"Me neither," Luke said miserably. "Dad, I'm going to bed. I think I'm coming down with something."

"It's _almost July_! Kiddos just don't come down with things when it's almost July!" Darth was pounding his fists on the dining room table.

"There, there, master Luke and mistress Leia. I'll take your temperatures. Off to bed we go." C3PO shuffled the Skywalker twins off to bed.

Of course, neither of them had had a temperature, but the droid insisted they stay in bed and rest. After changing in to some pajamas, Luke stared up at his ceiling and thought. _We need to figure this out_, he thought to Leia, and then sent her the message. _I can't just sit back and let the police arrest Dad. If we figure it out before they do, we can convince him to go into hiding. How about at Alderaan? They'll never find him there!_

_True_, Leia sent back to him.

_We need to ask everyone who might know about Dad's whereabouts yesterday._

_ What about simply asking Dad where he was? Shouldn't we give him a chance to defend himself?_

_Are you nuts, Leia? The first rule about committing felonies is that you deny that you do them._

_Says who? Han Solo? Have you been talking to _him_ again?_

After that, they needed to take a break. Sending mind messages was exhausting, and it was making both of their heads hurt.

Meanwhile, Darth was pacing back and forth in the living room. He was worried about the kiddos. Reaching into their minds, he felt alarm and panic. Why were they panicking?

"Sir," Threepio offered, coming into the living room, "master Luke and mistress Leia are both rather ill. They're requesting medicine for headaches. May I have permission to give them their medicine, sir?"

"I'll give them some medicine, Threepio. You finish the dishes."

"Yes, sir."

Darth went into the bathroom for a bottle of painkillers. He went to the kitchen and filled two glasses of water, then put everything on a tray and set off for Luke's room.

"Here you go, Luke." Darth passed his son a glass of water and two pills. "How about you tell your old man what's really going on here? Why don't you feel well, son?"

"I don't know," Luke mused after swallowing his medicine. "I guess I've been working too hard at the farm. I don't even want to become a farmer, and every time I go over there, Uncle Owen insists I milk the cows."

"Come on now, Luke. We both know that's not what the problem is. Even when you're sick, you can eat a whole bowl of your aunt's chicken soup. You never skip dinner. What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk, Dad," Luke wept, and turned around in bed so that he was facing the wall.

Darth sighed and went into Leia's room. "Here are some painkillers, princess. What's wrong?"

Leia took her medicine and sniffled. "Dad, where were you today? Before you picked us up from Uncle Owen's?"

Darth looked surprised. "Why, I was working, princess. I try never to miss work. You know that."

"Where, at RebelCorp?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I _wasn't_ at RebelCorp. I was working at EmpireCorp today. Yoh Da was with me. Leia, why is this relevant?"

"Because they found Mr. Jones dead at EmpireCorp, Dad."

_Oh_, that's _what this is about_, Darth thought, then shrugged. "I know. So what?"

Leia stared at her father. "You aren't at all worried that the police are going to come and arrest you?"

"Arrest me for _what_? They have no proof. Innocent until proven guilty, kiddo."

The phone rang. Luckily, Leia had a phone right in her room for her endless gab sessions with Carrie and Marilou, so Darth answered it. "Hello?"

Leia listened carefully.

"Yes, I was there," Darth confirmed to the caller on the other line. "From about one to three." Pause. "Yes, I saw him." Another pause. "Well, I'm very busy. We'll have to do this at my office tomorrow. I work at RebelCorp." Darth said a few more things to the caller, and then hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Leia asked.

Darth didn't answer. He just stood up and stalked out of his daughter's room. "Damn investigation," he muttered through his respirator.

Leia slid under her covers. Luke was right again; there was no way on Earth that her father was ever going to admit to anything. Leia missed Alderaan and the Organas. The Organas would never be wrapped up in a murder investigation.

Vowing to contact her godfather first thing in the morning, tears slid down Leia's face as she cried herself to sleep.

Meanwhile, across town, Owen Lars was getting into bed with his wife after a long day of work on the farm.

"Beru," Owen said to her as she took off her robe and slid into bed, "did you see that report on the news about that CEO who was found strangled?"

"Yes," Beru mused.

"Isn't that the guy that Anakin used to work for?" His stepbrother was always 'Anakin' in their private conversations.

"Yes, I think it is." Beru paused as she reached to turn off the bedside lamp. "You think Anakin had something to do with it?"

"You think he _didn't_? I know my stepbrother's temper. He tried to strangle Padme at one point, didn't he? It's a wonder we didn't end up raising his kids."

"We could _still_ end up raising his kids," Beru muttered as she turned off the lamp and settled into bed. "Luke and Leia are only sixteen."

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: Luke Meditates


	4. Yoga With Yoh Da

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

**Author's Note**: Happy New Year to all of my loyal readers! As a New Year's gift, here's another chapter.

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><p>Without school, Luke and Leia were free to sleep in until whenever they wanted. By the time both of them were up, their father and C3PO had already left for RebelCorp.<p>

"I have yoga today with Dad's boss," Luke told his sister. He opened the pantry and frowned. "Leia, where are my Sugar Frosted Intergalactic Space-O's?"

"I think Threepio got rid of them," Leia told her brother sympathetically. "Something about young humans needing more nourishment at breakfast."

_Damn droids_. Luke went over to the breadbox and put a slice of bread into the toaster.

"You were saying?" Leia prompted, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "You have yoga today with Mr. Da, _and_…"

"Well, I'm going to try to get him to tell me what Dad was doing yesterday, if he even _knows_ what Dad was doing yesterday," Luke continued. "And then I'll ask Threepio if he knows what Dad was doing yesterday. I'll figure this out one way or another."

"I'm calling Mr. Organa," Leia said, biting a nail as she sat down with her orange juice. "I want to go back to Alderaan, at least until this blows over. I'm nervous, Luke. I'll get Mr. Organa to invite you, too." Leia struggled to hold the lump back in her throat. "Luke, Dad was at EmpireCorp yesterday from one to three. He admitted it to me."

"_What_?"

Leia told her brother about the conversation she'd had with Darth the previous night, and about the phone conversation she'd overheard. "I think it was the police, wanting to question Dad," she finished up, her lip quivering.

"So, Dad was there at the probable time of the murder. We know that much." Luke took a bite out of his toast, which by now, he had covered in jam. "I hate toast," he said, making a face. "Dad _always _lets me have Sugar Frosted Intergalactic Space-O's for breakfast!"

* * *

><p>"We cannot do yoga today," Yoh Da announced, five minutes into their session.<p>

Luke was disappointed. He'd worn his comfiest sweatpants. "Why not?" he asked curiously. He had meditated, just as Yoh Da had told him to. His mind had been a total blank. And then Da had said that they couldn't do yoga.

"Very heavy something weighs on your mind. Too tense you are, Luke Skywalker. Full benefit of the yoga you will not achieve."

Luke uncrossed his legs. Just like every yoga session, he and Yoh Da were sitting on mats in the back of Da's office. "I'm worried," he admitted quietly. "I saw that news report last night, and I'm scared."

"Which news report is that, young Skywalker?"

"The one about the CEO from EmpireCorp being strangled." Luke paused. "Mr. Da, was my dad at EmpireCorp yesterday afternoon?"

"At EmpireCorp he was," Yoh Da admitted. "Earl Jones and I, discussing the merger we were. No thank you, I told him. Merge for money we do not."

Luke was surprised. "You _turned down_ the merger? Did Dad know that you planned to do that?"

"I know not. Mr. Jones, offering us _more_ money he was, and then we break for lunch, the droids insisted. It was around one, we ate. Then into a conference call with Silicon Valley, I was called. One o' clock was the last time Mr. Jones was alive that I saw."

Luke thought. Mr. Jones hadn't believed that Yoh Da didn't want to merge, and kept upping his price for the company, or so Yoh Da was saying. Could his father just gotten tired of the whole thing and just killed Mr. Jones to put an end to all of the talk? "Where was my dad from one to three, Mr. Da?"

"I know not, young Skywalker. Eat he does not but through a feeding tube."

So, Darth Vader could have been anywhere. Earl Jones could have been anywhere. Their paths could have crossed. Yoh Da was on a conference call somewhere else and didn't witness anything.

"Thanks, Mr. Da. You're right, I can't focus on yoga today. How about next week?"

"Yes, Luke Skywalker. Next week, meet we will!"

* * *

><p>"DAMNATION!"<p>

Darth's pen had exploded, getting ink all over the framed photo of Luke and Leia as infants that he kept at his desk. Thank goodness the picture was behind glass.

"Yes, Mr. Vader?" C3PO asked timidly, stepping into his master's office.

"This Bantha fodder of a pen exploded, and now I got ink all over my favorite portrait of the kiddos!" Darth handed the picture in its frame to C3PO. "Clean this, Threepio."

"Yes, Mr. Vader." C3PO turned around and handed the picture to R2D2, another droid. "Clean this, Artoo."

Artoo beeped out some comment and left for the washroom, holding the framed photograph via an extendable arm.

"Threepio, did you throw out my cereal?" Luke demanded, taking a seat across from C3PO's desk. Technically, the droid was Darth's secretary, and R2D2 was Threepio's assistant.

"What cereal is that, Master Luke?" Threepio shut the inner door to Darth's office.

"My Sugar Frosted Intergalactic Space-O's. I couldn't find them this morning!"

"Well, of course I threw them out, Master Luke. Young humans need nutrition at breakfast; it's the most important meal of the day. You should be eating a cheese omelet, toast, and orange juice. That covers the four major food groups."

"I don't care about the four major food groups, I want my cereal!"

"You're just an adolescent human, Master Luke. You don't understand the value of these things, and you won't until you're older. I'm doing this for your own good."

Luke sighed. "Threepio, I need to ask you a question, but you can't tell Dad anything about this."

"My lips are sealed, Master Luke." Pause. "If I had lips, that is."

"Were you with Dad yesterday at EmpireCorp?"

"No, Master Luke. I stayed home yesterday, unpacking your father's things and cleaning your rooms. Your father said around ten that he had some errands to run, and that he'd be back later. I took it to mean that I wasn't invited, so I stayed home."

Drat. So Threepio wasn't able to shed any light on yesterday's events. "When he came back, did Dad tell you where he'd gone?" Luke pressed the droid.

"When he came back, he was with you and your sister."

Okay. So, Darth had probably gone from EmpireCorp straight to Uncle Owen's farm. "Thanks, Threepio," Luke said, disappointed. He paused. "Can I please just have my cereal once a week?" he begged.

"I'll consider it, Master Luke."

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: ?


	5. Leia's Escape Plan

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

* * *

><p>As Luke was leaving RebelCorp, he stopped in the lobby for a drink from the water fountain. He needed to relax. Just because his father was present in the building at the time the crime was committed didn't mean that his father was responsible.<p>

Of course, Darth Vader had probably the best motive…and a horrible temper…and absolutely nothing to lose from committing the crime…

Luke walked out of the building at the same time two police detectives walked in. Luke could tell they were police because of the badges they wore around their necks.

"We're here to speak to Anakin Skywalker," one of them told the receptionist in the lobby.

"_Who_?" the receptionist asked, confused.

Luke stifled a laugh. He almost wished he was there for the interrogation.

Luke rode his bike back home and told Leia what Yoh Da and C3PO had told him about the time of the crime.

"I'm calling Mr. Organa," Leia sniffled. "Come on, Luke, let's get out of here. I don't want to be here when Dad gets arrested."

"How are we going to get there, Leia? They live three hours away."

"They'll send their private helicopter. All we need to do it make it to the airport."

"And how are we going do that? We _can't afford a taxi_!"

"Yes, we can. I'll have the cab stop at the bank on the way on the airport. I'll withdraw some money from my credit line."

Luke stared. "Dad would _never_, in a million years, let you get a credit card."

"He doesn't know about it. Mr. and Mrs. Organa gave it to me on my last birthday. It has a $500 limit, and I'm only supposed to use it for emergencies. This is definitely an emergency."

"Do you know what Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru got me on _my_ last birthday?" Luke retorted. "A sweater." Actually, it had been a black sweater with the yellow Batman symbol on the front. Aunt Beru had knitted it herself, and Luke loved it so much that he refused to wear it to school, for the fear that his best friend Mark would ask to borrow it. Mark never returned the clothes he borrowed from Luke.

But that was beside the point.

"Boys are simpler creatures. Their needs are fewer," Leia replied simply. "Now come on, we have to pack and get out of here before Dad comes home!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Luke's hunch was correct. The police interrogation was actually turning out to be quite humorous.<p>

"Now, Mr. Skywalker-" one of the detectives began. The two police detectives and Darth were sitting around Darth's conference table, adjacent to his office.

"I've told you several times now, Detective. Please address me as 'Mr. Vader,'" Darth replied impatiently in his deep voice.

"Okay, Mr. Vader. Now, what exactly _were_ you discussing on your conference call with these people in Silicon Valley?"

"Is that important, Detective? I don't want my business deals with Silicon Valley to be public knowledge. RebelCorp's stock might plunge. Our shareholders might not understand why certain duties need to be performed."

"RebelCorp's stock might drop to one cent per share if one of its executives is arrested for a murder," said the other detective impatiently.

"That kind of comment was uncalled for. I didn't kill the man."

"Well, we're asking for some cooperation here!" the second detective said, pounding his fist on the table. "Just tell us what you were talking about on the phone, and for how long!"

"Don't you pound your fist on my table!" Darth retorted, pounding _his_ fist on the table even harder.

"And can you please take off that helmet, Mr. Skywalker?"

"DON'T ADDRESS ME AS 'MR. SKYWALKER!'"

* * *

><p>Leia called her godfather at work. "I don't feel safe, Mr. Organa. I think my dad killed the CEO of EmpireCorp-"<p>

"Wait a second, the man whom he used to work with?" Bail Organa was in his legislative office, trying to read the latest bill on gun control. He had definitely heard of the Earl Jones case; it had made the news across the country.

"Yeah." Leia was wiping tears from her eyes. "And Luke and I, we're really scared, and-"

"Okay, Leia, honey, just calm down. Do you want to come here, is that what you want?"

"Can Luke come, too?"

"Of course Luke can come. But I need to call your father and tell him you're coming here."

"_No, you can't_!"

"I have to, sweetheart. Your father would want to know where you are."

Leia sighed. "Can you send your helicopter? Luke and I will be able to get to the airport in an hour."

"Okay, I'll have the helicopter to the airport in an hour. When you're safely on board the helicopter, I'll call your father, okay?"

"Okay." Leia wiped another tear. She thanked her godfather, hung up the phone, and called for a taxicab.

Luke heard his sister on the phone, and went to his closet for his suitcase. He packed some jeans and t-shirts, and some pajamas, and the little stuffed polar bear that he slept with every night. He hoped Leia wouldn't take forever to pack; she didn't need a carefully curated wardrobe if they were only going to be away for a few days. Hopefully, that's all that their father would need to convince everyone that he wasn't a murderer.

Leia hadn't even unpacked from last week's trip yet. She had told C3PO last night that she'd do it herself, but then had spent the day worrying.

"You're not taking all of that," Luke told his sister, pointing to her four large suitcases. "We're only going for a couple of days."

"We don't know how long we'll be there," Leia said dismissively, picking up two of her suitcases and dragging them out to the kitchen to wait for the taxicab.

"Leia, the helicopter _can't carry_ all of that!"

"Yes, it can. It's done so before."

"But now you have _me_ and _my_ suitcase."

Leia bit her lip. "Okay, I'll leave behind formal wear and shoes." She dragged the two suitcases she was holding over to her closet, then picked up the other two and dragged them out to the kitchen.

Luke just sighed. _Girls_.

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: Bail and Darth Have a Chat


	6. Luke at Alderaan

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

* * *

><p>The phone rang on C3PO's desk. After a couple of seconds, Threepio told Darth that Bail Organa was on the line.<p>

"What in damnation does he want?" Darth growled to his droid aide.

"He says it's very important. It's about the children."

Darth didn't waste another second. He picked up the phone and grunted an unenthusiastic hello.

"Darth, I don't know how to tell you this," Bail began, "but Luke and Leia are on a helicopter on their way here. They want to run away from home."

"_What_?"

"Leia called me about an hour ago wanting transportation to Alderaan for her and Luke. She was hysterical. She thinks you've killed the CEO of EmpireCorp."

Darth sighed. "Why didn't you call me _right away_ so that I could go home and talk some sense into her?" It was very un-Darth like of him not to be raising his voice, but Darth figured that it would just make his relationship with Organa worse to be shouting at him.

Bail Organa, he reasoned, was in a very powerful position as a state senator. At any point, he could introduce a bill to make wearing a black helmet in public illegal. Who knows.

"I talked it over with my wife, and we think that it would be best for them to get some relaxation first. We'll feed them dinner, send them to bed, and tomorrow morning, we can fly you up here to talk to them."

"Organa, I don't go anywhere unless it's on the RebelCorp corporate jet."

"Then _fly your corporate jet_! I don't care!"

Darth sighed angrily. "What makes that child think she can call for a helicopter whenever she's a little upset?"

On the other line, Bail Organa smiled. "She has her father's intuition."

Damn Organas. Of course, they would all just go away if he blew up Alderaan.

* * *

><p>Luke had never been on a helicopter before, and it was loud and uncomfortable. The pilot gave him some headphones to protect his ears, but it was impossible to get into any kind of napping position. Instead, he focused on meditating.<p>

As he meditated, another memory was coming to mind. He was recalling the time that he lived with Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, after the accident.

_ Uncle Owen had yelled at him for spilling a pail of milk in the barn. Luke cried, thinking that his uncle no longer loved him, and ran away. He ran away to the garage and spread his favorite blankie out underneath Uncle Owen's workbench, deciding he'd live there from now on. Exhausted from his crying, Luke took a nap._

_ Uncle Owen found him hours later, yelled at him for running away, and spanked his little behind for making his aunt and uncle worry. Luke cried again._

_ "Owen, you can't yell at Lukey like that. The poor child is so sensitive. He cries if you look at him the wrong way." Aunt Beru gave Luke a hug and a kiss. _

_ "You're right, sweetheart. I'm sorry, Lukey. Come give your uncle a hug." Luke hugged his uncle._

Luke was jarred back to consciousness by a mind message from his sister. _Look out the window, Luke. We're there_.

The helicopter landed on a field adjacent to the airport. The pilot helped Luke and Leia to the ground, and escorted them into a building where Mrs. Organa was waiting for them.

"Leia!" Mrs. Organa wrapped her arms around her goddaughter. "Leia, honey, why are you so hysterical? We'll figure this out!" Tears streamed down Leia's face. Mrs. Organa took a handkerchief out of her purse and started wiping Leia's tears. Leia took the handkerchief from her godmother and retreated into a corner by herself while Mrs. Organa hugged Luke.

"Luke, honey! Look at how much you've grown! I haven't seen you since you were in grade school! You're such a handsome boy," Mrs. Organa cooed, kissing Luke on the forehead.

"Come on, kids. What you need is some dinner and a nice sleep." Mrs. Organa took Luke and Leia by the hands and told a nearby clerk to load their luggage into the limo.

"_Limo_?" Luke whispered aloud.

Sure enough, a black stretch limo was sitting at the curb outside the airport. When Mrs. Organa approached, a driver scuttled around the back to open the passenger door. "Going home, Mrs. Organa?" he asked, tipping his hat to her.

"Yes, Ramsay. Open the trunk for the kids' luggage."

"Yes, ma'am."

Inside the limo, Luke made a beeline for the sideways-facing seat. He'd never ridden in a limo before. He opened side drawers and a refrigerator, revealing alcohol, sodas, and snacks galore. The Organas got to ride around like this _every day_?

Mrs. Organa paid no attention to Luke's curiosity and opened a compartment that stored blankets and pillows. She handed Leia a pillow and placed a blanket around her goddaughter. "Would you like a pillow and blanket, Luke, dear?"

"No thanks, Mrs. Organa. May I turn this television on?"

* * *

><p>Alderaan looked like one of those movie stars' mansions. There was a long circular driveway and a beautifully-landscaped front yard. Luke craned his neck to see if there was a pool in the back, but there was so much <em>house<em> that he couldn't see anything.

Luke went to the back for his suitcase, but was told that Ramsay would get it and deliver it to his room.

"Should we nap first, and then eat? Or eat dinner first, and go to bed early?" Mrs. Organa asked gently as she led her goddaughter and her brother inside.

"I'm not hungry," Leia pouted.

"Oh, Leia, honey, don't say that. You must eat, or else you'll fall sick, and your godfather and I would be very upset. How about you nap first? Luke, would you like your own room, or would you like to share with your sister?"

Luke started to say that he'd love his own room, but Leia told her godmother that she wanted Luke her in her room. Luke pouted.

Leia's room had a sign on the door that read, "Princess Leia's Cuddle Chamber." Her walls were painted purple. She had a queen-size bed with a wrap-around lace canopy.

"I don't want to sleep in a bed with a canopy," Luke grumbled. "Much less inside a room that says 'Princess Leia's Cuddle Chamber' on the door."

"Shut up and go to bed, Luke! If we're going to stay here for a while, you need to be more agreeable."

"Leia, if we're staying here for a while, I'm not sharing a room with my sister."

"But I love you, Lukey." Leia wrapped her arms around her giant pink teddy bear with the rhinestone tiara and purple tutu. Aunt Beru had given it to her on her fourth birthday, and she'd had a hard time parting with it. Finally, Mrs. Organa had persuaded Leia to leave the bear at Alderaan, telling it would be embarrassing if she had to haul the bear off to college someday.

"Yeah, I love my sister, too," Luke said, rolling her eyes as she settled into bed.

The 700-thread-count sheets weren't bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: Darth Arrives at Alderaan


	7. The DEATHSTAR

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

* * *

><p>Darth flew out to the state capital the next morning in the RebelCorp private jet.<p>

He had a nickname for the jet—he called it the Death Star. It was actually an acronym, D.E.A.T.H.S.T.A.R., that stood for Darth's Exclusive Automated Transportation, Hence Secondary Transportation for All the Rest. Basically, everyone at RebelCorp had agreed that Darth had first dibs on using the corporate jet when traveling anywhere, because he had no patience for any other form of transportation. Flying got you there the fastest.

Anyone else who wished to use it had to go through Darth first to make sure he wasn't using it at the time when it was needed.

After the Death Star landed at the airport, Darth took a limo to Alderaan. When the limo finally arrived there, he got out, looked around, and took several heavy breaths. "Place should be destroyed," he grumbled through his respirator.

"I heard that. You destroy my house, and I file for custody of your kids." Bail Organa was out trimming his own hedges.

"You file for custody of my kids, and I give a lot of money to your next political opponent!"

"You fund my next opponent, and I buy out RebelCorp."

"You buy out RebelCorp, I-"

"GENTLEMEN!" One of the Organas' maids was now screaming at them to stop. "Mr. Skywalker, may I escort you inside?"

"MY NAME IS NOT SKYWALKER!"

* * *

><p>Breha Organa didn't care for Darth much, either. It wasn't his personality—she trusted any man who had married Padme, or at least thought that she <em>should <em>trust him—but having a man wearing a black helmet stare at her without any clue of the expression on his face was just plain annoying.

Thankfully, today that wasn't a problem.

"Leia insisted on sleeping in the same room with Luke last night-" Breha began.

"Damn kids, thinking they can get away with incest," Darth grumbled. "Why the hell did we have twins?"

"It wasn't _incest_, she was just scared. And Luke wasn't thrilled to be sleeping in a girl's room, either, but when I came in with their dinner, I was glad Luke was there, because Leia wouldn't eat, and Luke persuaded her to eat-"

"Just threaten to kill the girl next time. Works just fine for me."

"That's not how I like to deal with children, Darth," said Breha gently.

"Have you raised any?"

"Have _you _raised any? Leia's always complaining to me that you're never home!"

"You know these teenagers, they like to cause drama."

Breha threw both hands into the air. Dealing with this man was pointless._ How'd he get to be a corporate executive?_ she wondered to herself.

_And what did Padme ever see in him?_

A housekeeper soon came in with the kids. Leia had been napping and wore purple velvet sweatclothes; Luke had been soaking in a Jacuzzi and was now lounging in his usual attire of jeans and a t-shirt after taking a shower. Breha Organa kissed both children on the forehead and asked them to take seats next to her on the sofa.

"Dad, can we get a Jacuzzi at home?" Luke asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have enough time to take care of a Jacuzzi, Luke."

"Threepio can clean it," Luke pointed out.

"Threepio has enough to do, working for me and cooking for you ungrateful kids! Now, what makes you two think that you can jump to an outrageous conclusion like thinking that I murdered Earl Jones?"

Leia curled up in her sweatclothes. "Luke came home and said you were there at the time of the murder and that you and Mr. Jones were both missing for a while. Nobody knew where either of you were."

"Well, I don't know where the hell Jones was, but I was in the conference room on the phone with Silicon Valley for two hours. RebelCorp is opening a new office there, and that blasted Yoh Da wants to put me in charge. I was trying to convince these people that me moving to Silicon Valley would be like feeding my kids to the Sarlacc. Horrible idea."

"We're moving to Silicon Valley?" asked Luke slowly.

"Not anymore, kiddo. I took care of it."

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't handle leaving his best friend, Mark Fisher.

"So you didn't kill him, Dad?" asked Leia.

"Of _course_ I didn't kill him, princess. I know what's in your mother's will. Why would I risk sending Luke to your Uncle Owen and you to…" Darth looked around the room and grunted… "_this_ place?"

Luke hid a smirk. Mrs. Organa just looked annoyed and asked a servant for a cup of tea.

"We thought you liked your job more than you liked us," said Leia quietly.

"Princess," said Darth quietly, "when have I ever given you that idea? Since I started working at RebelCorp, haven't I been home a lot more with you and Lukey?"

Leia shrugged. "I guess." She looked embarrassed.

"Princess, I _love_ you and the Lukester! Come on, Lukey, give your old man a hug! Come here, princess!"

Luke smiled. This was the Dad he remembered. "I'm sorry, Dad," he apologized to his father, getting up to go over and hug him. "Thanks for forgiving us."

Darth hugged Luke. "Good kiddo," he murmured through his respirator.

"Dad," Leia said quietly from her place over on the couch, "Can I spend another week here at Alderaan? I love sleeping in my new bed."

"I'll get you a new bed at home," Darth growled.

"And we can't get a Jacuzzi?" Luke gaped.

* * *

><p>Luke and Leia thanked the Organas—Darth didn't—and agreed to go back home on the Death Star. After making sure that all of her luggage was loaded on board, Leia went to the back of the plane and conked out.<p>

"That kiddo sleeps too much," Darth growled.

"She gets bad jet lag," Luke explained to his father.

"Speaking of sleeping," Darth told his son sternly. "Tell me about you and your sister in the same-"

A call came over the intercom, telling Darth to pick up the phone. He had a call from work.

"Sorry, Lukester. Duty calls." Darth headed over to the phone, picked it up, and growled a greeting. "What?"

Luke rolled his eyes and sank back in his seat.

* * *

><p><strong>Up Next<strong>: A Big Surprise Ending


	8. So, Who Killed Earl Jones?

**Disclaimer**: I don't own these characters.

**Author's Note**: I know this chapter is short, but the best surprise endings often are. Although, I do intend to continue this series at some point in the future…we'll see when.

* * *

><p>Luke and Leia were taken home in Darth's Cadillac Escalade after their ride on the Death Star. Darth wished his children a good day and set off for RebelCorp.<p>

Leia went to sleep, tired after another plane ride. Luke raided the refrigerator for lunch and found that it was stuffed with soup and sandwiches made by Threepio. Excited, Luke devoured some sandwiches and fell asleep on the sofa watching cartoons that he had asked Threepio to TiVo for him while he was at Uncle Owen's all last week.

He was roused from his nap about twenty minutes later by the phone. It was Mrs. Organa.

"Luke, did you make it home all right? Are you and your sister okay?"

"We're fine, we just got home. Thanks for calling."

"Oh, no problem at all, sweetheart. Remember, you're always welcome here with us. Just give us a call if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mrs. Organa."

Luke hung up the phone, wondered back over to the sofa and looked at the framed picture on the nearby end table. It was the very first picture taken of the Skywalker twins; newborn Luke and newborn Leia, wrapped in blue and pink blankets, respectively, right after their births. A doctor was holding Luke in his left arm and Leia in his right.

Both babies were both crying, but in a way, it was adorable. Luke knew now—as he did then—that he was loved.

* * *

><p>At RebelCorp, Darth ordered his droid assistants not to bother him for any reason, and then shut the door to his office.<p>

Underneath his mask, Darth smiled.

Darth had hated lying to his kids, but what else was there to do? _Admit_ to Luke and Leia that he had killed Earl Jones, using the power of the Force? It wasn't going to happen.

Of course, Darth wasn't the only guilty one. Yoh Da had taught Darth to use the power of the Force, using yoga and meditation. Yoh Da had provided the weapon. Darth had strangled Earl using the Force while had had been on the phone with Silicon Valley. All it took was a clench of the fist.

If he hadn't done it, the Board of Directors probably would have forced him to take the Silicon Valley job. But now the position of CEO of EmpireCorp was vacant, and the odds of EmpireCorp offering Darth the job were about 1 to 1. Darth knew EmpireCorp like no one else.

Doing nothing all day and making loads of _moolah_. It had been Darth's goal forever.

There was a snag, though. What would become of Luke and Leia?

Well, considering Darth had used the Force to kill Jones, there was absolutely no physical evidence to prove Darth guilty, and he had a perfect alibi which he had presented to the police. The only way he would lose Luke and Leia was if his crime would be found out; if they were still under eighteen, they would both be sent to their Bantha-fodder of godparents. Owen and Beru, Darth could handle, but under no circumstances was his little princess to spend any more time at Alderaan than was absolutely necessary; she only visited twice a year.

Darth reached out to both of his children, and got nothing but spider webs. Luke and Leia were asleep.

_Good Lukey. Good princess, _Darth thought happily. _Just do as Daddy says_.

_Everything will be just fine_.

TO BE CONTINUED (IN A FUTURE STORY)…

THE END


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